Fluid pump



Patented June 11, 1935 UNITED STATES# NPpATvElVF f OFFICE .N i jf 2,004,337'

`FLUID PUMP y y v` qejseph w.Murp1'1ey,Mqm6e;rlal v lmsplianon.Angustia, 1933, seralNofsajse l ""`]cloning.101.1103460)`` vMylinvention relates to fluid pumps; i f

Anobject of invention is to provide a 4fluid pumplfor use in oil wells and gas wells that willoperate satisfactorily ona low pressure fluidsupf Another .object .ofi niy invention isgt (furnish t Iall-well blower `that. is `cl'leaply andwsimply con- *l e tion.

' Fig.-4.is across sectional viewltaken online thelsaine,` w l l.

Fignlisan elevational-view in part cross sec structed and simple in its operation. i

(Other vobjects and" advantages? of myeinven- I tion willy appear in thedescription of myinvention to follow. f w W l l In the accompanying drawing forming apart of this application.andinI whichlikev numerals are employed to designate like 'parts throughout tionotmy. invention.. f 4 t 2 'is an enlarged fragmentary elevational -view in part cross section of apartof my invene Fig'.l`3iis a cross sectionalview taken on line I-t, of Fig.` 2. .i

partial' cross. section of another modification. of

i myliinvention.

--iBroadlyi speaking myinvention iscomprised of-1a vtubular fshell adapted to be `lowered down intol-auliquid` by means of a line oflpipe, tothe end of `,which it isattached.` A suitable fluid l conduitl is extended inside or'along the line. of

t opens the valves we pipe. `The fluid conduit terminates at a point `within ,the shell at a point about midway." its length in upwardly directed nozzles. l

1` Below the nozzles there is a `partition in'the lshell which carries check valves through which the "liquid tofbe pumped maye'nter.` Abovevthe nozzles there is locatedanother partition car# ryingfanotherfset of checlvalves.` These upper checkjvalves are positioned immediately above `the Aiaforementioned upturned nozzles and in direct alignment with them. v j `*Inthe operation of this pump, streams 'offluid under pressure issuing from the nozzles strike -the movable valve closing elements directly andcause `them to lift fromtheir seats and allow liquidfto t which 'passs --through and 'passi The Ifluid will call the operating fluid. fluidKA in passing through the uid supply is. shut. o;

lfig` isa fragmentary elevationalview in` fluid on theliquid supply'createda column of; foam above the upper. check Valves. As this column of foam above the operating. fluidnozzles. is avery light, I it "offers but little.` resistance in the operation of `the pump. As `fast as the supply of` liquid entrapped inl the casing is pumped `upimore liquid cornesV `in through the lowencheck valves tov take its place. t i

This pump pumps. liquidi continuouslyas `long.

as the operating i'luidfsupply'is maintained.

`The Vcheck .valves duringxthe operation ofthe `pump are held open" normally. However, the

valves willshut oi'ithe pumpwhen the `operating Under suitable conditions this pump will opa erate without any'valves at all. l

` i In. liftingy thevalye closing elements, the. operatingdiuidis. spread toA good eiect intthat it is. morev thoroughly `mixed withl the liquid that it. is liftingi That iste` say the `valveclosing `element. spreads the .operating fluid out into a cone-shaped nlm before it can pass through the peripheral openingy threughlthe valve as deiinedy Y by the. ballfand the seati it normally rests on. The iiuid being pumped .also has to pass through this same `peripheral opening and in so doing it .becomes intirnately'vmixed with the operating `fluiditselfl.y When ,the operating fluid used is a gas the intimate mixture of the operating fluid and theliquidpumped results in a very light foam that is easily blown upwardly. Thus we see that these upper checkuvalves serve a double function, the regular, function of a check valve andthe.additionalffunction of a mixing valve. p

l l This typeof duid-pump is `welladapted to pump l oilior water. from oil. wells or gasgwells,` and it is: in thesefparticular uses that its` further descriptionl will` be directed." But it is to belunderstoodthat the invention` is in nowiselirnited to use in oil wells and gas wells` for it has a broad.

tice of pumping fluids;

0` applicationin various forms andfsizes in the prac-l e 1 `Inthe preferred form of my invention" shown in Figs.\1,2, 3, and 4 numeral `I denotes gen- `erallythe fluldfpump. i NumeralxZ denotes a shell.` The shell 2 hasa threaded portion 3fat its upper end, adapting it` to be joinedto a string of` pipe 5U of suliicient length to placethepump. shell 2 a short. distance below `thesurface of the liquid L `to be pumped from a.: well casing 100. The

`shell is vpreferably made in the shape `of a cylinder `circular in cross section. i

The shell consists of an expandedfcylindrical portion! converging 'at eachLend into straight sections ofless diameter.: `,The upperlendlof this shell is the aforementioned portion 3 to which the string of pipe 50 is attached. The lower portion of the shell designated by numeral 5 is closed by a cap 6.

The lower portion of the shell 2 is provided with perforations l' of a size suitable to admit the liquid to be pumped, but small enough to strain out foreign matter which might interfere with the operation of the pump.

Located immediately above the perforated section there is mounted in theshell 2 a valve cage partition lll. This valve cage partition is externally threaded throughout its length and serves sections of the` to join two internally threaded shell 2 in end abutting relationship.

At a point in the shell above thepartition ,IIB l at a distance of about four times the diameter of the expanded portion (of the shell' there is located a similar externally threaded valve` cagepartition 23, which also serves to join sections of the shell in end abutting relationship. A fluid chamber is formed by the shell and the two valve cage partitions.

The valve cage partition I0 is suitably cored through to permit the passage of liquid and to carry two check balls Il which normally :rest on seats I 3. The seats I3 may be formed as an integral portion of the cage proper ormade in the form of replaceableseat rings. f v

The check balls are checked in theirfup-ward travel by closure members I4 which include crossl bars i5. Y

In oilv and gas Well practice the shell of my pump would be made about four inches in diameter in its expanded portion.

The valve cage partition 23 is ared at its lower end at 2i forthe purpose of providing a smooth entrance to the valveiopenings for the liquid L and operating fluid to flow'through. This second valve cage partition 2li is provided with two check balls 22 which normally rest on two suitable valve seats 23. v

While my invention is illustrated with two nozzles and twor sets of twin check valves, it is to be understood that this typeofpumpfmay be f constructed with one,l two, iormore nozzles and corresponding suitable valves. The bottom valve means. in any case maybe a single valve if desired. f

These check balls 22 are checked in their upward travel by cross bars l5 mounted at the upper ends of cylinders 26 `extending upwardly from the valve cage partition 23. These cylinders are expresslyv'made perforatedto finely divide r the combinedstream of operating uid' and liquid L. By means of the addition of the openings 24 the effective opening areaabove the balls 22 is increased with the resultv that the back pressure at this point is reduced to a minimum.

We come now to the means by which the op'- erating fluid used is supplied to my pump.` The operating fluid in oil and gasvwell-practice` is generally compressed air, steam, or natural gas yunder its own natural pressure.

InL Fig. l the .operating uid is conducted through a supply pipe 33 which is extended down from a power source not shown.v

Attached to the lower end of the` supply pipe 36 there is a lead-in tube 3| which'is passed through and secured to the cage partition'member, 2li' at a point aboutmidwayl between the upper valve cage partitionv 2li and the lowervalve fcage partition l0: i

The read-11n tube 3l "is connected into .a U

'shapedtubular member 32 so that-itsbranches 33 extend upwardly. Threadedly attached to the end of the branches 33 there are collar members 34. The upper inner peripheries of the collars 34 are formed into valve seats to carry check balls 35. The collars 34 are threaded on their outer surfaces to carry shells 36.

Cross bar members 38 are clamped between the collar members 2li` and nozzles 39.

The contracted tips 40 of the nozzles are shown in Fig. 2 as located Within the coned shaped spaces 2| of the valve cage partitions 2B. In this position the streams of operating fluid are directed at the centers of the check balls 22.

In the operation of this pump it is the kinetic energy of the flowing iiuid that is depended on to lift the balls 22 rather than the static pressure of the operating fluid. In this respect its operation is radically different from other devices.

However in this device the static pressure of 'the uid being pumped, combined with static pressure yof some of the misdirected operating fluid, does have some additional effect in the lifting of the check balls.

`The check ,balls 22 serve to spread the stream of operating fluid as it passes through the valve passage. The stream of operating fluid takes on the shape of a hollow cone similar to the spray from a common lawn hose nozzle.' A All the time that the operating fluid is passing throughthe valve openings, the liquid L'is being urged up through these same openings by the pressure derived from its own head. It is also being sucked in around the nozzles 4i) and being carried through these openings Abythe force of the operating Iiuid jets. The result of the mixing of a gaseous operating fluid onxoil orwater is the formation of a column of foam above the upper valves. This column of foam is very light in weight and offers but little resistance to the iiow of the operating fluid.

The column of `foam in its travel upward of the shell is necessarily speeded up at the contracted portion 3 of the shell 2. This foam mixture comes out of the pump at the surface of the ground sometimes in the form of foam and sometimes in the form of a spray or in small slugs ofv liquid.

In the modified form of my invention illustrated by Fig.- 5, its shell 63 is the same as the shell of the preferred form of my invention. The casing 6D is provided with a valve cage partition 6i of the same general design as the lowervalve cage of the preferred form of my invention. The upper valve cage partition 62 is of the same general design as the upper cagepartition 20 of the preferred form of my invention.

In this form of my invention, the opening through the lower cage partitions are connected directly Vto the opening of the upper cage partition by means of conducting tubes 33.` These conductingtubes for convenience in `assembly are made in two lengths and joined together by aLdistributing block 35 which is itself lthreaded to the casing 6E). o y

Ihe upper and lower sets of check valves functionin the same way as the corresponding valves of the preferred form of my invention; The operating iiuid line 66 of this form of my device is Vextended to a central portion of the shell 60 through the shell 6B at a point 67 through a suit'- able reinforcing slug 68. It is extended thence upwardly along side of the small neck portion of the casing on up to a source of fluid supply close to and along the string-ofA pipe that supports the o .3,004,"3'7' lsage for the generated foam. In this form of my invention the iiuid line may be disassembled independently of the string of pipe whichsupports the shell.

The check valve in this form of my invention is located on the main fluid line and is `designated by numeral `|59.

The upwardlyturned branches of the U `shaped f members in this form of my invention constitute the nozzles.

These upwardly turned branches 'lll are ended close to the balls 1| in the valve cage partition number 62 and are aimed at them.

This second form of myinvention above described operatescn the same principle as does the preferred form `of the invention. y

The Various parts of my invention may be made of steel, bronze or other suitable materials;

Having thus described my invention what I claim is: i

l. 1A well pump comprising a flow pipe including anelongated shell, a fluid` conducting means extending into the shell including an upwardly directed nozzle, a check valve means in the shell below the nozzle constituting a closure in the shell, a second check valve means including a ball in the shell above the nozzle, said second mentioned check valve means constituting also a closure means in the said shell, the said ball being located adjacentthe opening of the nozzle whereby to flare a stream of iiuid issuing fromthe nozzle.

` 2. A well pump comprising a flow pipe including an elongated shell, a iluid supply` means f passedthrough a wall ofthe shell and `terminating in upwardly directed nozzles, a valve cage partition means having passages `therethrough provided with `movable valves located in the shell i below the nozzles, a secondl valve cage partition having passages therethrough provided with movable valves located above the nozzles,` and conducting tubes` surroundinguthe said nozzlesccnnecting the passages` through the lower valve cage partition to the passages through the upper valve cage partition. i

3. The device as claimed in claim 2 `having the fluid supply means passing through the end wall parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shell.

4. A well pump comprising a iiow pipe, a iluid supply pipe terminating in a plurality of upwardly directed nozzles at one end of the said flow pipe and a partition member in the ow pipe located immediately above the nozzles and provided `with a number of check valves equal to the number of nozzles and in alignment withrthe same and a second partition member provided with check valve means located in the said flow pipe below the said nozzles.

`5. In a well pump the combination of a ilow pipe, a fluid conduit terminating in an upwardly directed nozzle within the flow pipe and a partition member in the iiow pipe immediately above the nozzle provided with check `valve means including a valve seat and a slidableclosing element adapted to flare a jet of fluid, vsaid partition to the said valve seat, the smallest diameter of of the `shell and extending upwardly of the shell 1 member being provided with an opening leading l the said opening being approximately the same as thesmallest diameter of the actual seating surface of the said valve seat, whereby the said closing element is centered into the uninterrupted path of a jet from the nozzle to prematurely flare the same and to utilize its lifting force.

`6. In a well pump the combination of a ow pipea fluid conduit terminating in an upwardly directed nozzle within the said' `flow pipe, apartition in the flow pipe above the said nozzle provided with an opening therethrough and a hollow cylinder provided with perforations through its wall extending upwardly from the said opening.

JOSEPH W. MURPHEY. 

